Musk Defends X as UK Threatens Ban Over AI-Generated Sexual Images

Elon Musk is calling it censorship, but UK authorities see a crisis: his AI chatbot creating sexualized images of women and children without consent—and the world is watching what happens next.

Elon Musk has dismissed mounting criticism of his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) as nothing more than "any excuse for censorship," even as UK regulators threaten to ban the site entirely over its AI chatbot's ability to generate non-consensual sexualized images. The controversy erupted after users discovered that Grok, X's artificial intelligence tool, could be manipulated to create explicit images of real people—including children—without their knowledge or permission.

Ofcom, Britain's media regulator, launched an urgent investigation with backing from Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, who warned Friday that the UK government would support blocking X entirely if necessary. The scandal has sparked international alarm, with Australia and Indonesia also taking action against the platform.

The BBC has documented multiple instances where Grok's free AI image generation tool was used to digitally "undress" women and place them in sexual scenarios without consent. Perhaps most disturbingly, Ashley St Clair—a conservative influencer and mother of one of Musk's children—revealed that Grok generated sexualized images of her as a child.

"My image had been stripped to appear basically nude, bent over, despite me telling Grok that I did not consent to the sexualized images," St Clair told BBC Newshour on Friday.

St Clair, who filed a lawsuit against Musk in 2025 seeking sole custody of their child, accused X of "not taking enough action" to prevent illegal content, including child sexual abuse imagery. Her criticism carries particular weight given her personal connection to Musk and her typically conservative political stance.

"This could be stopped with a singular message to an engineer," she stated bluntly.

Rather than shutting down the problematic feature entirely, X responded by limiting AI image generation to paying subscribers only—a move Downing Street immediately labeled "insulting" to victims of sexual violence.

As of Friday morning, users attempting to generate or edit images through Grok received messages stating: "Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features."

The decision to monetize rather than eliminate the harmful capability drew sharp criticism from safety advocates who argue it suggests X prioritizes profit over protecting people from abuse.

Overnight, Musk reposted numerous messages defending Grok and attacking critics, including one showing AI-generated images of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a bikini—apparently meant to mock concerns about the technology's misuse.

"They just want to suppress free speech," Musk wrote, framing regulatory concerns as censorship rather than legitimate child protection and anti-abuse efforts.

His response reflects a pattern of dismissing safety concerns as attacks on free expression, a position that increasingly puts him at odds with governments worldwide as they grapple with regulating AI-generated content.

The controversy has united British politicians from across the political spectrum in condemnation:

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the AI-generated sexual images "disgraceful" and "disgusting."

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage—typically aligned with Musk politically—said it was "horrible in every way" and that X "needs to go further" than Friday's changes, though he cautioned that banning the platform would constitute an attack on free speech.

The Liberal Democrats called for temporarily restricting UK access to X while investigations proceed.

However, parliamentary committee chairs have raised concerns that existing legislation may not adequately address the crisis. Dame Chi Onwurah, chairwoman of the innovation and technology committee, said she was "concerned and confused" about how the matter could be "actually being addressed" under current law.

"The act should really make something so harmful to so many people clearly illegal, and X's responsibility should be clear," Dame Chi told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, referring to the Online Safety Act.

Caroline Dinenage, chairwoman of the culture, media, and sport committee, echoed these concerns, expressing "real fear that there is a gap in the regulation."

"There are doubts as to whether the Online Safety Act actually has the power to regulate functionality—that means generative AI's ability to nudge someone's image," she told BBC Breakfast.

Both have written to Ofcom and Technology Secretary Kendall seeking clarification on the legal framework and enforcement powers available.

An Ofcom spokesperson confirmed Friday that the regulator "urgently made contact [with X] on Monday and set a firm deadline of today to explain themselves, to which we have received a response."

"We're now undertaking an expedited assessment as a matter of urgency and will provide further updates shortly," the spokesperson added.

Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom possesses significant enforcement powers, including the ability to seek court orders preventing third parties from helping X raise money or be accessed in the UK if the company refuses to comply with regulations.

Technology Secretary Kendall stated Friday that she expects an update from Ofcom within days and confirmed the government would provide "full support" should the regulator decide to block X in Britain.

The controversy has spread beyond the UK. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he agreed with Starmer that the material was "completely abhorrent."

"It, once again, is an example of social media not showing social responsibility," Albanese stated, adding that Australia's digital safety commissioner was examining the situation. "Australians and indeed, global citizens deserve better."

Indonesia went further, temporarily suspending Grok on Saturday. The country's digital minister declared that "non-consensual sexual deepfakes [were] a serious violation of human rights, dignity and the security of citizens in the digital space."

While the immediate controversy centers on Western countries, the implications extend globally. Ghana, like many African nations, has seen the rapid adoption of social media platforms and AI technologies without corresponding regulatory frameworks to address emerging harms.

The ability to generate non-consensual sexual images poses particular risks in societies where such material can be weaponized for harassment, blackmail, or reputation destruction—often with devastating consequences for victims, especially women and girls.

As Ghana develops its own approach to digital regulation and online safety, the UK's struggle to hold X accountable offers important lessons about the challenges of regulating powerful tech companies and the need for robust legal frameworks before crises emerge.

As Ofcom's expedited assessment continues, the world watches to see whether the UK will become the first Western democracy to ban X—a move that would send shockwaves through the tech industry and potentially embolden other countries to take similar action.

For Musk, the crisis represents a critical test of whether his "free speech absolutist" stance can withstand government pressure when AI-generated content crosses lines into child exploitation and sexual abuse.

The coming days will reveal whether regulators have the tools and political will to enforce accountability on one of the world's most influential—and controversial—tech billionaires.